Cardboard tray



Dec. 19, 1961 E. KRONSON ET AL 3,013,710

CARDBOARD TRAY Filed April 8, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VENTORS nzat om JMMO'QL'M BY 791 ATTORNEY-5' 3,013,710 CARDBQARD TRAY Ernest Kronson, Bnifalo, and Felicia Dickinson, Hamburg, N.Y., assignors to Wagner Folding Box Corporation, Buffalo, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Apr. 8, 1966, Ser. No. 20,881 Claims. ((31. 229-32) This invention relates to a cardboard tray and more particularly to a tray having side and end walls folded against the bottom wall and which, when unfolded, additionally has partition straps defining a plurality of compartments or partitioned off areas intended to receive separate articles, the partition straps preventing the segregated articles from sliding around on the tray or from tipping or spilling or becoming mixed with other articles carried by the tray. Such trays are specifically adapted as disposable trays for serving food and beverages informally to scattered customers or guests as in their automobiles at drive-in establishments, or at picnics, with the solid foods in one compartment and with beverages or spillable foods in smaller compartments proportioned to fit the containers for the beverages or spillable foods thereby to prevent them from spilling or sliding and making it easier to fill, convey and eat from the trays.

States Patent 3,013,710 Patented Dec. 19, 1961 ice form but are shown as being rectangular and slightly less in height than the side and end Walls 12, 14, the height of the latter being shown as being the same. Each end of each side wall 14 and the corresponding extension 19 is longitudinally slit along a pair of spaced parallel lines 21), in which the blank are straight, to provide a partition strip 21 at each corner of the box. Each strap is centrally located in its side wall 14 and end extension 19 and terminates at one end in a vertical fold or crease line 22 in the side Wall 14 and at its other end in a vertical fold or crease line 23 in the corresponding side wall extension 19. Centrally each partition strap 21 has a vertical fold or crease line 24 which divides the partition strap into two sections 21a and 21b, the former being connected by the fold or crease line 2 2 to its side wall 14 and the latter being connected by the fold or crease line 23 to its flap or extension 19. It is essential that the length of each partition strap section 21a be equal in length to the length of the slits 20 in the corresponding flap or extension 19 and that the length of each partition strap The principal object of the present invention is to provide such a tray in which the partition straps automatically come into operative position as the side walls of the folded tray are unfolded or spread thereby to avoid unnecessary manipulation in readying the tray for use.

Another object is to provide such a tray which is made from a single rectangular blank without waste of cardboard and with conventional paper box making equipment.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a cardboard blank from which the tray is made.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the tray in a fully folded condition ready to be opened up for use.

PEG. 3 is an enlarged vertical longitudinal section through the folded tray taken generally on line 3-3,

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the tray partly unfolded or distended.

FIG. 5 is a vertical transverse section taken generally on line 55, FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is an end view of the unfolded or distended tray ready for use, the opposite end view being the same.

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the unfolded tray.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the unfolded tray, the opposite side view being the same.

The blank from which the tray is made comprises a rectangular bottom 10 defined by fold or crease lines 11 which are also the base lines for the end walls 12 and by fold or crease lines 13 which are also the base lines for the side walls 14. These fold or crease lines, as well as others hereinafter described, are illustrated by fine lines to distinguish them from slits or other out edges. Each end wall has a pair of diagonal fold or crease lines 15 extending from the corners of the bottom 10 or meeting points of the crease lines 11, 13 and converging toward each other and terminating at the upper edge of the end wall to form a central isosceles trapezoidal section 12a and triangular end sections 12b in each end Wall. The opposite ends of each end wall 12 are in the form of vertical edges 16 so that each end wall is of rectangular outline.

The opposite ends of each side wall 14 are defined by crease lines 18 which are also the base or fringe lines for extensions or flaps 19. 'Ihese flaps can be of any section 21b be equal in length tothe length of the slits 21) in the corresponding side wall '14.

The part of each flap or extension 19 above its strap section 21b is glued or otherwise attached in face-toface relation, as indicated at 25, to the inside face of the corresponding triangular section 12b of the end wall With the parts constructed and glued or otherwise attached as above described the box is folded or collapsed so that the central or isosceles trapezoidal portion 12a of each end wall 12 is folded down in face-to-face relation with the bottom wall 10- and its two triangular portions 12b folded against its outer face. In this position of the parts, illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, each side wall 14 is folded down with its center in face-toface relation with the bottom 10 and with its opposite ends in face-to-face relation with the inner faces of the triangular end wall portions 12b. During this folding in of the walls of the box, the two sections 21a and 21b.

of each strap is folded along its crease lines 22, 23 and 24 so that they are in face-to-face relation with each other and with the section 21a along or in face-to-face relation with its side wall 14 and with the section 21b along or in face-to-face relation with the bottom 10. It willbe understood that these folded straps 21 can overlap each other at their centers as illustrated in FIG. 3.

With the tray so folded as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, all that is necessary to open or distend the tray is to place ones fingers under the opposing edges of the isosceles trapezoidal portions 12a of its end walls 12 and to lift and spread the same. This automatically unfolds the triangular end wall sections 12b from face-to-face contact with these isosceles trapezoidal portions 121: of the end walls and in coming to erect posi ion these triangular portions 12b push out on the ends of the side walls 14 so as to bring them to an erect position. In doing so the sections 21a and 21b of each of the four straps 21 are unfolded from face-to-face contact with each other, the former section following the side wall 14, to which it is directly attached by the crease line 22, and the latter section following the corresponding triangular end wall section 1212 to which it is attached by the glue 25, end wall extension 19 and crease 23. In this opening movement the side walls 14 and the various sections of the end walls 12 and straps 21 swing from a position in which all are upright and perpendicular to the bottom wall 10 and either perpendicular or parallel to one another.

As the parts so assume the fully opened position, the sections 21a and 21b of all four straps swing out toward the center of the box and in the fully opened position define a rectangular area at each corner of the box which is segregated by these straps from the central cruciform area. These smaller corner compartments can receive cups, bottles, glasses or jars (not shown) of liquids or spillable food stuffs and their size can be proportioned to hold these cups, glasses, bottles or jars both against tipping and sliding about, the straps 21 embracing them well above their bottoms. -At the same time these straps do not interfere with the ready lifting of any such bottle, cup, jar or glass from its compartment or its replacement therein. Of course, the straps 21 can be provided in any number up to four.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the tray of the present invention by one simple unfolding operation automatically provides a tray which is compartmentalized into as many as five compartments each adapted to receive separately an article and to maintain it in segregated relation to the other articles on the tray. It will further be seen that the tray can be made and folded with standard box making machinery and with minimum waste of materials and that it is well braced and quite sturdy considering its being a disposable article and made from inexpensive paper board.

What is claimed is:

l. A folded cardboard tray having a generally rectangular bottom, generally rectangular side walls connected with the edges of said bottom by crease lines, and an opposite pair of said walls being each diagonally creased from the corners of said bottom to provide end triangular wall sections folded into face-to-face relation with an intermediate section, an end extension projecting from at least one end of the other pair of said walls and connected thereto by a crease line, and being arranged in face-to-face relation with an adjacent end triangular wall section, said end extension and the adjacent portion of the wall to which it is attached being slit to provide a strap connected at its opposite ends by crease lines to said end extension and the wall to which it is attached and said strap having a crease line dividing it into two sections arranged, in the folded condition of the box, in face-to-face relation with each other with one strap section in face-to-face relation with the side wall to which it is directly attached and the other strap section in face-to-face relation to the bottom, and means securing the end edges of said walls together whereby as a function of spreading said walls said strap sections are drawn away from each other and toward the center of the tray and in the full opened position of the tray are arranged generally perpendicular to said bottom.

2. A folded cardboard tray as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means securing the end edges of said walls includes means securing said end extension to the inner face of the adjacent end triangular wall section.

3. A folded cardboard tray as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means securing the end edges of said walls includes glue interposed between the opposing faces of said end extension and the adjacent end triangular wall section.

4. A folded cardboard tray as set forth in claim 1 wherein each of said strap sections is equal in length to the slit in the part to which its companion strap section is attached whereby said strap sections form a generally rectangular compartment at the corresponding corner of the unfolded tray.

5. A folded cardboard tray, comprising a rectangular bottom and walls connected to each of the four edges of and arranged in face-to-face relation with said bottom, means connecting said walls at their end edges including at least one end extension connected to one wall along a crease and means securing said extension to the inner surface of the adjacent wall, at least one slit extending transversely across said crease and terminating short of the outer end of said extension and short of the midpoint of the wall from which the extension projects to provide a strap connected at its end to said extension and to the wall from which the extension projects, a pair of creases generally parallel to said first mentioned crease severally connecting the ends of said strap to said extension and the wall from which said extension projects, and an additional crease across an intermediate part of said strap generally parallel with said first crease and dividing said strap into two hinged sections arranged in the folded condition of the box, in face-to-face relation with each other and in face-to-face relation to said bottom and to said wall from which said extension projects whereby as a function of spreading said walls said strap sections are drawn away from each other and toward the center of the tray and in the full opened position of the tray are arranged generally perpendicular to said bottom.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,168,565 Rosenwald Ian. 18, 1916 2,794,585 Wagner June 4, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 84,992 Norway Feb. 7, 1955 140,388 Sweden May 12, 1953 

